April 6, 2007
SAN DIEGO – The Lobos (14-20, 3-5 MWC) intentionally walked the bases loaded in the 10th inning and it came back to bite them as sophomore Brandon Hewett plunked Joe Spiers, who picked up the walk-off RBI as San Diego State won its third straight game over New Mexico, 6-5.
UNM grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second thanks to five hits, including a one-out home run by Matt Hibbitts. With two outs in the inning, New Mexico recorded four straight hits for two runs as Scott Gracey and Matt Foote each tallied RBIs.
Stephen Smith cruised through the first three innings, holding the Aztecs hitless with three strikeouts. But in the fourth, he gave up four runs on five hits, including a two-RBI double down the right field line to Brandon Glover. Nick Romero added one more SDSU run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly for a 5-3 lead.
Derek Pilkington cut the deficit to one in the sixth, leading off with his second triple of the season. He crossed the plate in the next at bat as Ian Hollick drove him in with a sacrifice fly. In the eighth, Pilkington singled, advanced to third on a Hollick single and scored the tying run on a Drew McDonald sac fly.
The Lobos threatened to break the tie in the ninth, loading the bases with just one out. But SDSU closer Stephen Strasburg notched a strikeout and groundout on the grass in front of first to get out of the jam.
SDSU also threatened in the bottom of the ninth, drawing a leadoff walk but the Lobos went to the pen and Hewett got a grounder to short that Gracey turned into a double play. Hewett sent the game to extra innings, striking out Josh Chasse looking.
New Mexico also had an opportunity in the 10th with runners at second and third. But with two outs, Strasburg got Jay Russell to fly out to left, bringing the Lobos stranded runners total to 12.
Strasburg earned his first win of the season, throwing 2.0 hitless innings of relief. Hewett suffered his first loss of the season, allowing an unearned run with a walk, no hits and one strikeout.
Foote led the Lobos as they out-hit the Aztecs, 11-7. Foote was 3-for-5 with a RBI while Pilkington was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and Hollick was 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. Six Aztecs recorded hits, led by Aaron Brady’s 2-for-4 performance. Glover finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
The season series concludes tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT.